Another vaccine is set to come to Australia in February. Photo: AdobeStock
Novavax will be another option for those who have not yet had the chance to get vaccinated yet. This will provide those with more options to choose which vaccine they would like to get. Another vaccine might also increase vaccination rates.
With the Omicron variant in the midst, it is not certain how effective this vaccine will be. The vaccine efficacy against variants is still being tested but the vaccine is still set to make its way to Australia.
Now, the Novavax vaccine is slightly different from other vaccines that have been administered so far. In other vaccines, your body is given genetic instruction to create a spike protein that will help fight the virus. With the Novavax vaccine, this is directly put into your body to be able to fight the virus. So it serves the same purpose but just functions a bit differently.
Thus far, the Novavax vaccine has not really been administered worldwide but it has been shown to have a 90% efficacy rate. The most common symptoms associated with the vaccine are headache, muscle pains, and fatigue.
At this point, the Novavax vaccine will only be administered to those 18 and older. Whether it will be used for a booster vaccine is not yet known. In addition, the vaccine is set to be given in two doses over a period of three weeks.
Presently, the vaccine is only allowed to be administered to those 18 and older. But, there are talks of this being used for the younger generation as well as how many doses are required for them.
While there are many other options and existing vaccines being administered to Australians presently, the Novavax vaccine will provide another option for those who have or had doubts about the previous vaccines given. With this, the government hopes that its 95% vaccination rate will move up to 97 or 98 percent with the Novavax vaccine around.